26 April 2017
Populist Constitutionalism and the Democratic Minimum Core
Democratic “populism” is on the rise worldwide. In the last [...] Continue reading >>
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25 April 2017
Vertrauenswürdigkeit und Rechtsstaatlichkeit: Was die Kritiker der EU nicht sehen (wollen)
Es gibt Probleme der Rechtsstaatlichkeit im europäischen Rechtsraum. Viele sprechen gar von einer Vertrauenskrise in die Europäische Union. Trägt Vertrauen als europapolitische und juristische Perspektive, und was sind die Implikationen? Continue reading >>Populism and the Courts
The antagonism of populist governments to apex courts is a [...] Continue reading >>
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24 April 2017
The Spanish Constitutional Court on the Path of Self-Destruction
Recently, the Spanish Constitutional Court has published one more decision in application of the new reform of the Law on Constitutional Court which increased its powers for the execution of its own decisions. It is clear that Catalonian sovereignist politicians are acting irresponsibly and provoking the Spanish powers. The only good way to answer to this challenge is a balanced and neutral response of the Constitutional Court every time they adopt an illegal act. Instead, the Court assumed a political role. He tries to stop even any talk about independence. By doing so, it fails to respect its own role as keeper of a Constitutional framework where very diverse ideologies can be discussed. Continue reading >>23 April 2017
No Compromises on Reproductive Rights – Why Ireland Needs Constitutional Change
On April 22, the Irish Citizens Assembly has in an overwhelming majority confirmed the need for change in Irish abortion laws. According to the majority of members of the assembly, the 8th amendment of the Irish Constitution, that de facto imposes a constitutional ban on abortion in most scenarios, needs to be amended or replaced. What constitutional change is needed? Continue reading >>Populist Constitutions – A Contradiction in Terms?
The meaning of “populism” is deeply contested. It is striking, [...] Continue reading >>22 April 2017
How Old is 14 Really? On Child Marriage and Case-by-Case Justice
A bizarrely archaic hiccup for old-school historicists, curiously ambivalent and legally intriguing to others, child marriages currently enjoy an unforeseen centrality in Germany’s public life. Europe today is hard pressed to look beyond its shores for instructive twenty-first century survival scripts. India’s past offers some lessons on child marriages for the current German predicament. Continue reading >>Introduction: Constitutional Courts and Populism
This mini-symposium is a joint project between the editors of [...] Continue reading >>21 April 2017
Türkei-Referendum vor dem EGMR: Warum der Gang nach Straßburg diesmal wohl nicht helfen wird
Nachdem die türkische Wahlkommission den Antrag einiger Oppositionsparteien auf Annullierung des Verfassungsreferendums vom 16. April verworfen hat, erwägt die oppositionelle CHP Medienberichten zufolge den Gang nach Straßburg. Dem halten türkische Spitzenpolitiker entgegen, der EGMR sei hierfür nicht zuständig. Was ist hiervon zu halten? Continue reading >>How Could the ECJ Escape from the Taricco Quagmire?
The Taricco saga shows how difficult has become the coexistence between the doctrines that have been developed so far by the ECJ on one side and the national Constitutional or Supreme Courts on the other side. The ECJ and the Constitutional Courts, in all their isolated splendour (or splendid isolation), preferred so far to follow parallel lines, whose meeting could only take place ad infinitum. However, if the parallelism collapses, the two lines are doomed to crash. Continue reading >>
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20 April 2017
Nonchalance im Rechtsstaat? Anfragen an den Spielhallen-Beschluss des BVerfG
Gut 19 Milliarden Euro werden bei bis vor kurzem sprunghaft steigender Tendenz jährlich mit Geldspielgeräten umgesetzt. Da dabei auch das Suchtverhalten kranker Menschen wirtschaftlich ausgenutzt wird, muss man kein Mitleid mit der Spielgerätewirtschaft haben, wenn die Landesgesetzgeber ihr in Ausführung des 2012 geänderten Glücksspielstaatsvertrags nun massiv zu Leibe rücken. Es gehört aber zum Markenkern des Rechtsstaats, dass die Anforderungen an die Eindämmung vormals erlaubten Verhaltens nicht davon abhängen, wie sympathisch man dieses findet. Vor diesem Hintergrund verdient der jüngste Beschluss des BVerfG zur Spielhallenregulierung Beachtung, weil rechtsstaatliche Mindeststandards hinter den immer wieder betonten besonders herausgehobenen Allgemeininteressen, die mit der Regulierung auch zweifellos verfolgt werden, stark verblassen. Continue reading >>19 April 2017
Of course you can still turn back! On the revocability of the Article 50 notification and post-truth politics
The British Prime Minister Theresa May has announced yesterday the intention to call a ‘snap’ general election to be held on the 8th of June 2017. This announcement, which has caught literally everyone off-guard, makes some strategic sense if read together with another contention stressed by Prime Minister May: that there is no turning back from Brexit. Which is untrue, both from the legal and political point of view. To put it shortly, the PM is lying. Continue reading >>‘Girls belong in school, and not in front of the altar’: Is the German Bill on child marriages violating international law?
As much as international law categorizes child marriage as harmful practice due to its potential wide ranging negative effects on education, health, increased risk of violence and sexually transmitted diseases, and poverty, the regulation of already existing marriages should not aim to be aligned with the age of marriage. Already existing child marriages have to be treated differently, as they already created a lived reality for the partners and cannot just be reversed, as this might end up in unwanted legal and practical consequences for the child. Therefore, with regards to already existing marriages, it is a misconception that the only possible way to end child marriage is to actually ‘end’ child marriage. Continue reading >>18 April 2017
Should we fear a Frexit?
What would a ‘Frexit’ look like? Would Le Pen have to go through a referendum? And if so, would it be binding or advisory? Would the hypothetical President encounter the same difficulties as the British Prime Minister did with the Miller case? Would the French legal system allow for the Courts to have such a crucial role? Continue reading >>
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17 April 2017
Gibraltar and the “Brexit” – New Scenarios within a Historic Dispute. A Proposal.
The "Brexit" draws its consequences also on the legal status of Gibraltar within the EU. This leads to new perspectives on a historic dispute between British, Spanish and Gibraltan sovereignty interests. What could be the solution? Continue reading >>Das Netzwerkdurchsetzungsgesetz: Im Zweifel gegen die Meinungsfreiheit?
Eigentlich soll das geplante Netzwerkdurchsetzungsgesetz Hetze und Falschnachrichten aus Facebook, Twitter und Co. vertreiben. Tatsächlich droht es die Meinungsfreiheit in den sozialen Netzwerken zu beschneiden... Continue reading >>13 April 2017
Stopping forced sterilisation is not enough – the limitations of the recent ECHR judgement on trans rights
The recent ruling of the European Court of Human Rights in A.P., Garçon and Nicot v. France constitutes an important decision for trans rights in many ways. The ECtHR determined that France’s requirement of sterilisation, applying to persons wishing to legally change their names and gender on their birth certificate to reflect their gender identity, is a violation of the right to privacy under Article 8 of the European Convention of Human Rights. Continue reading >>
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12 April 2017
Le Pen oder Macron? Scheinriesen werden sie beide sein
Der französische Präsident, so liest und hört man es anlässlich des Wahlkampfs derzeit in deutschen Medien, ist mit einer Machtfülle ausgestattet, die in der westlichen Welt ihresgleichen sucht. Das nährt die Angst vor einem Wahlsieg der Rechtspopulistin Marine Le Pen. Doch so berechtigt die Sorge vor der Symbolkraft eines Sieges der Führerin des Front National auch sein mag – sie wird Frankreich nicht im Alleingang umkrempeln können. Denn während sich die Präsidenten der 5. Republik politisch als Sonnenkönige gerieren konnten, solange sie über eine Mehrheit in der Nationalversammlung verfügten, entpuppten sie sich als verfassungsrechtliche Scheinriesen, sobald sich ihr politisches Lager in der parlamentarischen Opposition wiederfand. Continue reading >>10 April 2017
The Holy Word does not come strictly in Italian – Another Islamophobic Law stopped in Northern Italy
The saga continues: again have regions in Italy governed by the right-wing party Lega Nord tried to use an administrative law to restrict the building of new mosques in the regions. This time, Veneto came up with something new: they made it mandatory to speak only Italian in religious buildings. But the Constitutional Court took a clear stance, for religious freedom and for the importance of language as a cultural good. Continue reading >>Five Scenarios for Europe – Understanding the EU Commission’s White Paper on the Future of Europe
The European Commission has recently published a White Paper on the Future of Europe. With regards to the many crises the EU is currently facing, a coherent plan seems to be urgently needed. Instead of coming up with one single plan however, the Paper reflects five different scenarios... Continue reading >>06 April 2017
Judicial Review of the EU’s Common Foreign and Security Policy: Lessons from the Rosneft case
On 28 March 2017, the Grand Chamber of the EU Court of Justice (CJEU) decided in a preliminary ruling that the restrictive measures adopted by the Council against Russian undertakings, including oil company Rosneft, are valid. The judgment is of constitutional significance. It clarifies the scope of the CJEU’s jurisdiction with respect to acts adopted in the sphere of the EU’s Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP). In particular, it reveals that the EU system of judicial protection fully applies in relation to restrictive measures against natural and legal persons (so-called ‘targeted sanctions’). Continue reading >>05 April 2017
Meinungsfreiheit und Gewalt
Das BVerfG setzt seine Serie von Kammerentscheidungen zur Meinungsfreiheit fort: wenn ein Rechtsextremer einen grünen Bundestagsabgeordneten als "Obergauleiter" bezeichnet, dann ist keine Schmähkritik. Das ist weder ein Skandal noch ein Triumph, sondern ziemlich normal. Continue reading >>The Return of the Sovereign: A Look at the Rule of Law in Hungary – and in Europe
The Hungarian law makers have enacted a law that will make the operation of foreign-funded universities all but impossible, and aim to do the same to foreign-funded NGOs. These measures fail to meet even the most basic features of how legal rules are envisioned in a rule of law framework. The carefully crafted new Hungarian laws use the cloak of national security to stab the rule of law, as understood in Europe, in the heart. Continue reading >>More Is Less: Multiple Citizenship, Political Participation, and Mr Erdogan
I must differ with my colleague, Peter Spiro, and those who consider dual citizenship unproblematic or even progressive and a facilitator of immigrant integration. The devaluation of citizenship that widespread dual citizenship both reflects and worsens is in fact bad for those who need democracy and seek social equality. It is also another moment in which political power has yielded to market power. At the same time, making dual citizenship illegal, or even discouraging it, is a pointless effort since even after the current nationalist-populist wave passes, human mobility is highly likely to remain at high levels. Continue reading >>04 April 2017
“A Roguish and Unpopular President is potentially an Occasion for the Judiciary to Shine”
Will Democrats be able to block Neil Gorsuch's confirmation as Supreme Court Justice, and how will it affect the Court if they won't? Mattias Kumm on the latest developments in the nomination process and the judiciary's role in holding the Trump administration in check. Continue reading >>02 April 2017
Germany and the Erdogan Referendum: the Case for External Voting and Dual Citizenship
Almost a million and a half Turkish citizens resident in Germany are eligible to cast absentee ballots in a Turkish referendum to scrap its parliamentary system. The run-up to the referendum had German authorities obstructing pro-Erdogan rallies, to which Erdogan himself responded with charges that the German government was engaging in “Nazi practices.” The episode marks perhaps the most prominent and controversial example of external political campaigning since such activity has become normalized among states. Continue reading >>31 March 2017
Legally sophisticated authoritarians: the Hungarian Lex CEU
Contemporary authoritarian leaders understand that in a globalized world the more brutal forms of intimidation are best replaced with more subtle forms of coercion. Therefore, they work in a more ambiguous spectrum that exists between democracy and authoritarianism, and from a distance, many of them look almost democratic. They take advantage of formalistic legal arguments against their enemies. Similarly, the new draft law of the Hungarian government also uses legal tricks to force the Central European University to cease operation in Budapest. Continue reading >>The Great Repeal Bill and the Charter of Fundamental Rights – not a promising start
On the day Brexit happens EU Law will be incorporated into the UK legal system, including the entirety of the Court of Justice’s case-law. This is a huge digestion of rules and judicial rulings, unprecedented in the way and speed in which it will take place. However, there is a piece of EU Law that will not be incorporated into UK Law. This is no ordinary or irrelevant piece. It is the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union. It is another revealing sign of the impact that Brexit will have in the UK and, above all, for UK citizens and their rights. Continue reading >>
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30 March 2017
Freiheit der (Auslands-)Wahl: Musste Deutschland der Türkei die Durchführung des Verfassungsreferendums gestatten?
Seit Montag dieser Woche sind rund 1,4 Millionen in Deutschland lebende türkische Staatsangehörige aufgerufen, in dem umstrittenen Verfassungsreferendum abzustimmen. Die Bundesregierung hatte die Durchführung der Wahl in Konsularvertretungen und eigens für das Referendum eingerichteten Wahllokalen mit dem expliziten Hinweis darauf erlaubt, dass Deutschland zu seinen demokratischen Grundsätzen stehe und sich die Entscheidung in eine Tradition früherer Genehmigungen türkischer Wahlen in Deutschland und dem europäischen Ausland eingliedere. Was bedeutet der Verweis auf die “demokratischen Grundsätze” und die “lange Kontinuität”, Wahlen auf deutschem Boden zu erlauben? Handelt es sich hierbei um rein politische Kulanz, um eine Tendenz, eine völkerrechtliche Praxis zu begründen, oder gar um eine völkerrechtliche Pflicht? Oder hatte im Gegenzug die Türkei die Pflicht, Deutschland um eine solche Genehmigung zu ersuchen? Und hätte eine Versagung der Genehmigung Konsequenzen jenseits einer erneuten Schlechtwetterphase in den deutsch-türkischen Beziehungen gehabt? Continue reading >>The Taming of Control – the Great Repeal Bill
Brexit is underway. For voters who wanted the UK to remain in the EU, the risk was how much would change after the UK leaves. For those who wanted the UK to leave the EU, the hope was that, indeed, much would change. Both sets of voters may be surprised at the efforts being placed on seeking continuity in governance. For Remain voters, while this may afford some comfort, it will simply reinforce the view that the better way of keeping things the same was for the UK to remain a Member State of the EU. For Leave voters, the outcome may be more ambiguous. Continue reading >>
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29 March 2017
Wirtschaft und Menschenrechte: die „Loi Rana Plaza“ vor dem französischen Conseil constitutionnel
Frankreich hat mit der „Loi Rana Plaza“ das weltweit erste Gesetz zur Regelung einer verbindlichen menschenrechtlichen Sorgfaltspflicht für Unternehmen geschaffen. Das Gesetz hat nun seine erste Bewährungsprobe bestanden. Im Rahmen einer präventiven Normenkontrolle entschied der Conseil constitutionnel am 23. März 2017 über die Verfassungsmäßigkeit des Gesetzes. Lediglich die vorgesehene Sanktion der Geldbuße kassierte er und gab dem Gesetz im Übrigen grünes Licht. Continue reading >>
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Brücken für die Diaspora: ein Interview mit RAINER BAUBÖCK
"Die richtige Antwort auf die Unterstützung autoritärer Herkunftsregime durch manche Einwanderer ist es, sie für die deutsche Rechtsordnung und Demokratie zu gewinnen. Und das setzt voraus, das man ihnen den Zugang dazu gewährt. Diesen Zugang kann man auf zwei Weisen gewähren, durch Einbürgerung oder durch das kommunale Ausländerwahlrecht." Continue reading >>Im Netz der Sicherheit: das BKA-Gesetz und die Grenzen der Zentralisierung
Das neue BKA-Gesetz soll eine Regelung zur Fußfessel für so genannte Gefährder enthalten, die als Modell für die Landesgesetzgebung dienen soll. Die Vorlage einer verfassungsrechtlich umstrittenen Regelung durch den Bund soll die Länder sicherheitsrechtlich inspirieren. Doch die Verfassungsordnung setzt Grenzen. Die Frage, ob Bund oder Länder besser in der Lage sind, Sicherheit zu gewährleisten, bedarf differenzierender Antworten, bei denen die Ebene der Europäischen Union einzubeziehen ist. Effektivität ist nicht der einzige Maßstab. Hinzu tritt vorrangig die angemessene Wahrung der Freiheit. Continue reading >>28 March 2017
The Polish Judiciary Reform: Problematic under European standards and a Challenge for Germany
The latest efforts of the Polish government to reform the judiciary have met with fierce criticism both nationally and internationally. A new legislation concerning the National Council for the Judiciary has recently been introduced to the Polish Parliament and awaits deliberation. The approach the Polish government has chosen is indeed problematic in the light of European standards for Councils for the Judiciary – but so is the German model of selecting judges, which the Polish governments explicitly refers to as a point of reference for their reform. Continue reading >>27 March 2017
Damaging the Legitimacy of the Spanish Constitutional Court
The Spanish legislative burdens the Constitutional Court with the task to prevent Catalonia from pursuing independence. To use the Constitutional Court as the main barricade against any attempt at starting the independence process does tremendous damage to the Court itself as it undermines its perception as neutral arbiter and, thereby, its legitimation. Continue reading >>26 March 2017
European parliamentary sovereignty on the shoulders of national parliamentary sovereignties: A Reply to Sébastien Platon
We are really grateful that the Verfassungsblog has been one of the very first forums engaging the discussion on the "Treaty on the democratization of the governance of the euro area" (T-Dem). While the proposal has emerged in the framework of the current French presidential campaign, and is now widely debated in this context, it has been primarily thought of as a contribution to the ongoing transnational conversation over the future of the European Union. As authors of the proposal, we first wish to thank our colleague Sébastien Platon for launching an interesting discussion about the T-Dem. Continue reading >>
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24 March 2017
After Article 50 and Before Withdrawal: Does Constitutional Theory Require a General Election in the United Kingdom Before Brexit?
On March 29th, Theresa May will notify the EU Council of the withdrawal of the United Kingdom from the EU. This is the result of the Brexit referendum which, for the first time in the United Kingdom’s constitutional history, has opened up a powerful new source of popular sovereignty as a social fact. It is necessary for the constitutional integrity of the United Kingdom that this new stream of popular social legitimacy is realigned with the existing stream of Parliamentary Sovereignty. The most effective and desirable way in which to achieve this would be for a General Election to take place. Continue reading >>22 March 2017
The Catalan Secessionist Movement and Europe – Remarks on the Venice Commission’s Opinion 827/2015
The Venice Commission has issued an opinion on a Spanish statute on the Constitutional Court's authority. This statute is to be read as a concrete response to the Catalan secessionist movement. The Commission now reveals the European perspective on it... Continue reading >>
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21 March 2017
Protection with Hesitation: on the recent CJEU Decisions on Religious Headscarves at Work
The CJEU's Achbita and Bougnaoui decisions on workplace bans of Islamic headscarves are disappointing as they are not providing enough guidance to the national courts concerning the criteria that they need to take into consideration in their attempts to find a balance between the rights in conflict. The judgments do not provide any criteria for the admissibility of dress codes other than that they should be neutral and objectively justified. Even those terms though are not analysed by the court in a sufficient manner. Continue reading >>20 March 2017
Climate Change protection goes local – remarks on the Vienna Airport Case
Climate Change was brought before the Austrian Federal Administrative Court in the beginning of 2017. The judgement concerning the construction and operation of a third runway acknowledges the current development in the UNFCCC process and, as such, is of special importance and without precedence: According to the Court, the fight against Climate Change and its consequences for Austria overrides the public interest in the expansion of the Vienna Airport. Continue reading >>
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17 March 2017
The CJEU’s headscarf decisions: Melloni behind the veil?
On 14 March 2017, the Grand Chamber of the Court of Justice (CJEU) handed down two landmark judgments on the Islamic headscarf at work. The twin decisions, Achbita and Bougnaoui, were eagerly awaited, not only because of the importance and delicacy of the legal issues the cases raised, but also because the Advocates General had reached different conclusions on those issues in their Opinions. Continue reading >>Sententia non existens – the future of jurisprudence of the Polish Constitutional Tribunal?
One of the latest topics in the debate on the future of constitutional control in Poland concerns the possibility and the need of common court judges to directly apply the Constitution. This possibility has already existed in theory – according to the Article 8 para 2 of the Constitution of Poland, the provisions of the Constitution shall apply directly, unless the Constitution provides otherwise. However, in practice, until now in case when the conformity of the normative act with the Constitution was questioned in particular case, the court has always referred the question of law the Constitutional Tribunal. The need to come back to the discussion on direct applicability of the Constitution stems from the questionable legality of some Constitutional Tribunal rulings in connection with the incorrect appointment of three so-called “quasi-judges” in December 2015. Continue reading >>14 March 2017
Impeaching Remnants of the Authoritarian Past: A Constitutional Moment in South Korea
Last Friday, effective March 10 at exactly 11:21 a.m., the sitting President Park Geun-hye was removed from her office by a unanimous decision of the South Korean Constitutional Court. With public life coming to a standstill as eyes focused on TV and internet live broadcasting, the acting Chief Justice delivered the court decision. The conclusion of the constitutional impeachment procedure marked the climax of a transformative ongoing constitutional moment in South Korea. Continue reading >>Von Angstklauseln und Schwarze-Peter-Gesetzgebung: der Kindergeld-Gesetzentwurf des BMF
Deutschland soll Unionsbürgern für ihre Kinder, die nicht in Deutschland leben, das Kindergeld kürzen können. So will es das Bundesfinanzministerium, das aber auch weiß, dass das unionsrechtlich derzeit gar nicht geht. Offenbar meint man, im aufziehenden Wahlkampf auch hierzulande politisches Kapital aus der Überschrift „Wir würden ja gerne den Sozialmissbrauch bekämpfen, wenn nicht die böse EU wäre…“ ziehen zu können. Hat es so eine plumpe „Schwarzer Peter-Gesetzgebung“ in Deutschland schon einmal gegeben? Continue reading >>Le gouvernement de soi et des autres: Zu Auftrittsverboten für türkische Regierungsmitglieder
Die hochproblematische Verfassungsreform in der Türkei führt innerhalb der EU zu ungewöhnlichen Allianzen: In seltener Einmütigkeit wird länderübergreifend von ganz rechts bis weit ins linke politische Spektrum hinein ein Auftrittsverbot für türkische Politiker gefordert. Das gefühlt häufigste Argument bemüht dabei die Souveränität: Man möchte die Kampagne der türkischen Regierung für ihre die Gewaltenteilung gefährdende Verfassungsreform nicht auch noch im eigenen Land haben. In einer pluralistischen Gesellschaft weckt solche Einmütigkeit Zweifel, die sich bei näherem Hinschauen verfestigen – und zwar in juristischer wie politischer Hinsicht. Continue reading >>13 March 2017
Once More unto the Breach? An Independent Scotland, Europe, and the Law
Today, Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has announced that she would ask the Scottish Parliament to allow her to agree with the UK Government on another independence referendum. The Scottish people should be given a right to decide – once the terms of Brexit are known – whether to stick with the UK and leave the EU or pursue the route of independence and stay within ‘Europe’. This blog post will briefly outline some of the legal obstacles on the way, both internal and external. Continue reading >>Democratizing the Euro Area without the European Parliament: Benoît Hamon’s “T-Dem”
On the 10th March, the official candidate of the Socialist Party for the French presidential elections, Benoît Hamon, outlined his programme for the European Union. This programme, whilst being against austerity and in favour of more flexibility as regards EU requirements in terms of public budgets and public debts, comes with a treaty proposal, the draft treaty on the democratization of the governance of the euro area (dubbed « T-Dem »). This treaty, which was prepared by the candidate together with the superstar economist Thomas Piketty (who has joined his team) is supposed to bring more democracy to the governance of the Euro area. However noble (and necessary) this ambitious idea might seem, the way this draft treaty has been engineered raises not only political but also legal questions. Continue reading >>
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The CJEU on Humanitarian Visa: Discovering ‘Un-Chartered’ Waters of EU Law
Limiting the scope of EU law vis-à-vis national legislative measures is one thing but creating un-Chartered territory in EU law is another. It is understandable why the Court would want to stay away from the currently toxic migration politics. But it is worrying that it is willing to further limit the scope of the Charter when it might be needed the most. Continue reading >>
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State Reform in Greece: Legal and Practical Considerations
For the Greek drama to be resolved on a long-term basis, the shift from the exclusive focus on finances to institutional arrangements is long overdue. Armin von Bogdandy and Michael Ioannidis convincingly set out the proposal’s significant advantages. At the same time, however, its implementation might raise a host of both legal and practical considerations. Continue reading >>
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